Pro Calls 10 Shot Penalty On Himself After Golf Ball Mix Up
Mark Hensby accidentally used one of Pat Perez's golf balls for five holes at the Palmetto Championship

Mark Hensby accidentally used one of Pat Perez's golf balls for five holes at the Palmetto Championship
Pro Calls 10 Shot Penalty On Himself After Golf Ball Mix Up
Australian pro Mark Hensby had a nightmare opening round at the Palmetto Championship after accidentally using a competitor's golf ball for five holes.
Hensby picked up one of Pat Perez's golf balls on the putting green and inadvertently used it for five holes before noticing.
The Aussie took it out of his bag after finding water on the 4th hole and only realised five holes later that it was Perez's ball, which we assume was a Titleist Pro V1x Left Dash, a ball with a slightly different spin profile and a small dash marking.
He received a two-stroke penalty for each hole he used the ball.
The rule ensures players do not use different types of golf balls during the same round in terms of spin characteristics and compression.
“I asked my caddie, ‘Hey what's this dot on the ball? I've never noticed this before; did they do something with the new pro V1?’” Hensby told PGATour.com.
“And he didn’t know, so I asked my playing partners and they were like, ‘That's a low spin ball.’
"Now I don't use this ball, so there was a lot of confusion where it came from – none of my others had the dot – but we knew I had played the wrong ball.”
He was two-over-par after eight holes but quickly fell to 12-over, before playing the final 10 holes in one-over and signing for an 84.
Hensby withdrew after the opening round in just his second start on the PGA Tour this year.
“Somehow I picked up one of Pat’s balls and he ended up with one of mine,” Hensby said.
“I only found this out because Titleist wanted to get to the bottom of it. I thought they had a wrong ball in the sleeve that I had.
“If you look at both balls it's hard to know the difference.
“It's not like one is black and one is red. They're both black, but one has a small dot on it and one doesn't. Unfortunately, I didn't notice that. I’m glad he didn’t use mine.”
Elliott Heath is our Senior Staff Writer and has been with Golf Monthly since early 2016 after graduating with a degree in Sports Journalism. He manages the Golf Monthly news, features, courses and travel sections as well as our large Facebook, Twitter and Instagram pages. He covered the 2022 Masters from Augusta National as well as four Open Championships on-site including the 150th at St Andrews. His first Open was in 2017 at Royal Birkdale, when he walked inside the ropes with Jordan Spieth during the Texan's memorable Claret Jug triumph. He has played 35 of our Top 100 golf courses, with his favourites being both Sunningdales, Woodhall Spa, Western Gailes, Old Head and Turnberry. He has been obsessed with the sport since the age of 8 and currently plays at West Byfleet Golf Club in Surrey, where his handicap index floats anywhere between 2-5. His golfing highlights are making albatross on the 9th hole on the Hotchkin Course at Woodhall Spa, shooting an under-par round, playing in the Aramco Team Series on the Ladies European Tour and making his one and only hole-in-one at the age of 15 - a long time ago now!
Elliott is currently playing:
Driver: Titleist TSR4
3 wood: TaylorMade SIM2 Max
Hybrid: TaylorMade SIM Max
Irons: Mizuno MP5 4-PW
Wedges: Cleveland RTX ZipCore 50, 54, 58
Putter: Odyssey White Hot OG #5
Ball: TaylorMade TP5x
-
-
US Open Final Qualifying - Who Made It And Who Missed Out?
Several big names missed out while four LIV golfers gained a berth in the field at the Los Angeles Country Club
By Ed Carruthers • Published
-
FootJoy Women's HydroKnit Trousers Review
Katie Dawkins test drives the Women's HydroKnit Trousers from FootJoy to see how they perform come rain or shine
By Katie Dawkins • Published
-
Who Is Justin Thomas’ Wife?
The American star married Jillian Wisniewski in November 2022
By Matt Cradock • Last updated
-
Rory McIlroy Gym Routine... Revealed!
In this Rory McIlroy Gym Routine article we discover how the Northern Irishman keeps himself so fit
By Neil Tappin • Published
-
What Is Tiger Woods' Net Worth?
Tiger Woods became the first billion dollar athlete in 2009
By Elliott Heath • Last updated
-
The Masters Live Stream: How To Watch The Major
Here are all the details on how you can watch the Major wherever you are in the world.
By Sam Tremlett • Published
-
12 Things You Didn't Know About Gary Woodland
We get to know US Open Champion Gary Woodland a little better
By Sam Tremlett • Published
-
Five Outsiders Who Could Win The Masters
We consider five players who might surprise the favourites and claim victory at Augusta
By Fergus Bisset • Last updated
-
Who Coaches Tiger Woods?
Who has worked with the American over his career and who currently acts as his swing coach? We take a look.
By Sam Tremlett • Last updated
-
Who Is Tiger Woods’ Girlfriend?
Find out more on who the American professional golfer is going out with here.
By Matt Cradock • Last updated